OOH-RAH… Elite Marine Corps units to field new “1911 / M-45″ pistols!

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Jul 242012
 

Elite Marine Corps units to field new pistols!

 

Marine Corps Times

By James K. Sanborn – Staff writer
Thursday Jul 19, 2012

 

The Marine Corps has awarded a $22.5 million contract to Colt Defense for its M1911A1 Rail Guns.

 

The Marine Corps’ elite special operations and reconnaissance units will field thousands of new .45-caliber pistols over the next four years, military acquisition officials confirmed Thursday.

The service awarded a $22.5 million contract to Colt Defense for its M1911A1 Rail Guns. The deal was finalized Wednesday night, according to Barb Hamby, a spokeswoman for Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va. Precise details are expected to be released Thursday evening, but there is widespread speculation the order will total some 4,000 firearms.

The pistols will be manufactured at Colt’s plant in West Hartford, Conn., and delivered to the Marine Corps by 2017, Hamby said.

Designated the M45 Close Quarter Battle Pistol by the service, Colt’s Rail Gun takes a tried and true platform used since World War I and outfits it with a rail at the front of the receiver that can be used to mount the flashlights, lasers and infrared devices preferred by today’s special operations forces. While fundamentally unchanged since its inception, the weapon does use the company’s newer series 80 firing system, developed during the 1980s to increase safety by adding a firing pin block that prevents the discharge of a live cartridge if the gun is dropped or banged.

The weapon Colt submitted for this contract competition includes a dual recoil spring assembly, meant to reduce recoil. It was furnished in a desert tan color and featured a Cercoat finish designed to reduce reflection and prevent corrosion. The pistol also features more stainless steel parts, which should help it withstand the harsh environments where special operations and reconnaissance Marines operate — particularly in and around saltwater.

It’s not immediately clear whether Colt’s final prototype also includes all these flourishes.

While standard operating forces throughout the U.S. military use the NATO-standard Beretta M9 pistol, elite military and law enforcement units, including Marine special operations and force recon, have continued to use the 1911. While it requires more maintenance and care than many modern semi-automatic pistols, it is revered for its accuracy and performance in the hands of skilled shooters. Its .45-caliber rounds also pack a heavier punch than the 9mm NATO rounds used in the M9.

Other company’s that competed for the contract included Springfield Armory out of Geneseo, Ill., and Karl Lippard Designs of Colorado Springs, Colo.

 

Staff writers Rob Curtis and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.

 

Direct Link:  http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/07/marine-corps-marsoc-new-colt-45-caliber-pistols-071912/

 

 

United States Marine Corps to decide on new .45-caliber pistol

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Jul 242012
 

United States Marine Corps to decide on new .45-caliber pistol

 

Marine Corps Times

By Dan Lamothe – Staff writer
Tuesday Feb 21, 2012

 

Marine Corps Force recon Marines conduct a live-fire exercise off the deck of an amphibious assault ship. The Corps is getting closer to fielding a .45-caliber M45 Close Quarters Battle Pistol for force reconnaissance and Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Photo: Lance Cpl. Andrew J. Carlson

 

The Marine Corps is closer to knowing who will manufacture its new .45-caliber M45 Close Quarters Battle Pistol, and could make a decision about the program’s future by spring, Marine officials said.

The semiautomatic weapon will be fielded to elite Marines in force reconnaissance and Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. The service could buy between 400 and 12,000 of them as part of a contract worth up to $22.5 million, officials have said. The current requirement is for about 4,000 pistols.

Officials with Marine Corps Systems Command, out of Quantico, Va., declined to characterize testing or identify which companies are competing for the contract. However, the Corps is in the final round of source selection, said Charles Clark III, head of weapons requirements at Marine Corps Combat Development Command, MARCORSYSCOM’s parent command. He declined further comment.

The new pistol is modeled after earlier versions of the 1911 pistol used since the 1980s by force recon units. Those weapons were called the MEU (SOC) pistol, short for Marine expeditionary unit (special operations capable). The precision weapons section at Quantico’s Weapons Training Battalion has hand-assembled 1911s chambered for .45-caliber Automatic Colt Pistol ammo for years.

MARSOC’s expansion complicated that process, however. The Corps’ special operations command has been growing steadily since it was activated in 2006, and force recon was brought back in 2008 after a two-year hiatus designed to help solidify MARSOC.

Now with force recon and MARSOC both using the weapon, there is greater demand, and the Corps is seeking an off-the-shelf option to meet it. Like older 1911s, the new pistol would fill the requirement for a weapon with more stopping power than the 9mm M9 common across the conventional forces. Special operators have paired .45-caliber pistols with other weapons for years, including the MP5, a 9mm submachine gun. MARSOC already fields existing MEU (SOC) pistols, Marine officials said.

Several companies submitted samples to the Corps in 2010 as part of the competition, but it is unclear who remains in contention. They included Colt Defense of Hartford, Conn., and Springfield Armory of Geneseo, Ill.

Colt tweaked its 01070RG rail gun pistol and sent 10 prototypes to Quantico in 2010, Colt officials said. Colt’s prototypes for the Corps have a desert-color Cercoat finish, eliminating glare on the weapon and making it less identifiable at distance. They’re equipped with a popular night sight made by Novak of Parkersburg, W.Va., mounted on a Picatinny rail.

Springfield Armory sent the Corps at least six copies of its PX9105ML pistol for evaluation, company officials said. The company calls it the Full-Sized MC Operator. It has a black slide with a green chassis. The Corps has bought Springfield Armory 1911 slides in the past to use on pistols assembled at Quantico.

 

Related reading

More weapons approved for annual quals (Jan. 15)

 

Direct Link:  http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/02/marine-corps-to-decide-on-new-45-caliber-pistol-022112/

 

 

 

OOH-RAH… Motorcycle-borne MARSOC Marines prey on Taliban

 Articles of Interest, National security, Terrorism, Cyber Terrorism & Related Crimes, Technology & Digital Security, U.S. MARINES & Military, WANTED CRIMINALS & POI  No Responses »
Jul 242012
 

Motorcycle-borne MARSOC Marines prey on Taliban!

 

Military Times

“Battle Rattle”

by James Sanborn

July 19, 2012

 

MARSOC operators zip around on motorcycles to track down insurgents in Afghanistan.

(Photo courtesy of Michael J. Golembesky)

 

This photo makes the Hell’s Angels look about as threatening as a litter of kittens.

Those are Marine special operators in Afghanistan, looking like something akin to a well-organized motorcycle gang. The photo is courtesy of former Staff Sgt. Michael Golembesky, who spent two years with Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, serving as a joint terminal attack controller.

As Marine Corps Times first reported back in March, MARSOC teams use these small-engine bikes to get around in the Afghan mountains. Before some units deploy, the command sends them through a super-sensitive training program that provides five days of schooling on off-road riding and general motorcycle maintenance.

Golembesky published his photos on SofRep.com, a site that tracks U.S. and British special operations news. An accompanying narrative describes how Marine special operations teams have been using dirt bikes and ATVs to track down Taliban fighters in the dead of night. The small vehicles allow them to swiftly maneuver in areas where larger vehicles can’t, and the noise they make keeps the enemy guessing by blending in with the sound of local traffic, Golembesky writes. Is it another villager — or one of the world’s most elite warriors swooping in for a kill? In some cases, where foreign bikes and ATVs are difficult to keep running, MARSOC Marines have used the same small motorcycles that Taliban fighters ride to make quick escapes after planting IEDs or taking potshots at U.S. patrols.

Golemesky is writing a book about MARSOC. Titled Level Zero Heroes, the account will examine his experiences in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan, during 2009 and 2010. It is set for release in 2013.

 

A MARSOC Marine poses on his dirt bike in Afghanistan. Some deployed spec-op Marines ride local motorcycles like those ridden by the Taliban. (Photo courtesy of Michael J. Golembesky)

 

Direct Link:   http://militarytimes.com/blogs/battle-rattle/category/marsoc/